The Walls of Soi Fon
by TFKeyes
Summary: She had built walls around her soul that only had one visitor. Now someone else was knocking at the gate. I don't own Bleach but I have two gallons of the stuff. Another adoption?
1. Chapter 1

He stepped through the gate feeling slightly disoriented but better than he had felt in years. Actually he hadn't felt anything except emotions for years. The first thing he noticed though was that the long chain embedded in his chest was no longer there. That comforting pull no longer exerted itself against his chest making him wonder what happened. Then he looked at his hands and saw that they looked whole and not ghostly any more. He patted his face and even went so far as to pinch himself to see if it was real.

Soi Fon watched him with a trace of amusement gracing her features. She enjoyed watching Ren come to terms with his new reality. "I'll bet you didn't exactly expect this did you?"

"Well to tell you the truth, about five years or so back a young man and his new wife stopped by and chatted with me for a time. His name was Ichigo and his wife was Rukia. They both could see me so I figured that they were just shinigami looking for a little free time on their own. Rukia explained Soul Society to me in detail and I thanked her for the information. Ichigo just nodded as I explained that I still had something to do and left it at that. He said that he would look in on me from time to time and see how I was holding up and since then he has visited several times. He never asked if I was ready. He just asked how I was doing. He would joke with me and tell me about things going on in his life. I think that he helped keep me from going insane. I hope to tell him how grateful I am to him."

She almost giggled which caused Soi Fon to blush at her near loss of self control. "That sounds like Ichigo. He has a soft spot for ghosts that's as wide as the ocean it seems. He's the captain of the fourteenth division. He stays down in the real world with his wife, Rukia, and oversees operations there. If you decide to become a shinigami then you will no doubt meet him some day."

"Oh, so you're backing out of the job offer?" Ren's face had a playful look about it. "Well I never…." He left the rest unsaid as he watched Soi Fon struggle with her emotions trying to figure out what to say.

"No…I meant… Ah…. ARGH! What did you just do to me! I sound like a simple school girl!"

"It's called banter and I was shooting for a laugh not frustration. You don't get out much, do you?" Ren felt a touch of sadness at seeing her like this.

"Oi Soi Fon, Who's the cutie? You just bring him home?" Ren looked to the voice and saw a stunning looking dark skinned woman with long purple hair.

"Ah… Ummm…Shihouin-sama. It's not what you think. I was just…

"And just who are you young man? To be escorting the former head of my personal guard and making idle chit chat with her?" Ren was somewhat shocked at the change in attitude of Soi Fon and looked at Yoruichi just in time to see her wink at him.

"I beg pardon Shihouin-sama, Captain Fon was just being kind enough to show me around since I'm new here. If I offended anyone it was not my intention." Soi Fon had kept her eyes down during this exchange and Ren winked back at Yoruichi.

"Well in that case please continue showing this young man around Soi Fon." She turned on her heel and strode away.

Soi Fon looked up with a surprised look on her face, not moving until Ren cleared his throat. "Um, yes, let's show you around a bit then figure out what we are going to do with you."

They started to walk away towards the second squad when Soi Fon felt a ghostly touch at her shoulder and the whispered words from Yoruichi. "I like him. You look good together." She turned to look but Yoruichi was nowhere to be seen. Her eyes were huge as she blushed several shades of red and tried to continue talking.

"Um, about what I said earlier, I do hope that you want to become a shinigami, but even if you don't I would like to still be able to talk to you. You were right back in Karakura town I don't have many people that I call friend and sometimes I really do get in a sour mood because of it."

"It's been well over twenty years since I died. I was twenty five then. I have watched my wife raise my children and have another man's child. I have watched her age and finally move away to live with our children. I know all about sour moods and I will always be there if you want to just talk. I learned how to listen a long time ago and I think I'm pretty good at it. Besides you brought me here and for that I'm grateful. And from the looks of some of the people here I think it might be a good idea to stay with you anyway." This last said as they passed the eleventh squad and observed Kenpachi stroking a honing stone along his zanpakutō and hearing an almost lustful sighing coming from the blade. It didn't help seeing the huge man talking softly to it either in Ren's mind.

She pointed out some of the different things along the way including the community bath house.

"I have not had a bath in so long." Ren sighed.

"I'll make sure that you get to take a bath soon. Come let's continue." Soi Fon continued along with a small smile that Ren couldn't see.

They arrived at the massive records repository and they entered. Ren just looked at the huge number of scrolls that filled the place and felt like he was in the ancient library of Alexandria. Soi Fon walked up to the head librarian and asked for the daily record. She took the record and inscribed the name of Ren Davis noting the date of death and the date of soul burial. She also made a couple of side notes on the execution of an evil hollow that had been taken to hell. She left the name blank not wanting to have Ren linked to someone as evil as that. She returned the record and motioned for Ren to follow her.

The last bit of their walk took them to the Second Squad. At the gate the two watch shinigami snapped to attention then fell to their knees before their captain. Their faces partially covered leaving their eyes only showing, both of them locked eyes with Ren and their glare hardened to the consistency of stone. Ren noted this and smiled at them with his face but his eyes turned to steel.

Soi Fon noted this little silent exchange and wondered how it might turn out. The two guards started to flinch under the returned glare coming from Ren as his face never twitched. Finally she had had enough of testosterone from the two guards. "Is this how a guest of mine is treated?" Her voice could have shattered stone it was so hard, but the volume was that of normal conversation. Both guards dropped their eyes and opened the gate to the compound.

"They're well trained. They're suspicious of anyone they don't recognize aren't they." Ren asked mildly.

"Yes, I suppose they are. It helps considering that there are hollows that can enter and consume a person from within them. They should have know though that if you were with me that you were alright." She said mildly irritated.

"Did you ever think that maybe they were slightly jealous? I mean here I am walking alongside a beautiful woman who just happens to be their captain. Maybe they wished that it was them instead of me."

Soi Fon's eyes shot open for the second time that day and her cheeks tinged again with shades of red. She had never thought of anyone in her squad as having any feelings for her that way. Even the thought that there might be someone who would look at her in that way gave her an uncomfortable feeling deep in her belly. _"Is what Ren saying true? Can I be that blind to those around me?I know that each and every one of them would die at my command but to think that there is anyone here that….. What am I doing?"_

Her inner turmoil was evident on her face. "Soi, I'm sorry, I was speaking out of turn. Please act like I never said a thing." Ren felt genuinely sorry he had made the comment.

"No Ren, you just said something that I never considered before and I'm not upset. Actually, I feel sort of relived to hear it out loud." She smiled a small demure smile at him. "Come, let's have some dinner. I bet you would love to finally eat something." She had a slightly mischievous look on her face.

"Now that you mention it I am feeling a bit hungry. Odd I haven't felt hunger in a long time." He scratched the back of his head in some confusion. "I thought that spirits didn't need sustenance to survive."

"That is true for the most part. Those who have a high spiritual strength though need to eat. Otherwise you will fade away and pass back into the pool of souls for rebirth some day. This is not an exactly pleasant method of passing. Many each year pass this way in the Rukongai. We try to help as many as we can but there are so many that some slip through our grasp. So let us eat."

The simple meal that was brought for them did fill his stomach and made him feel more human than he had felt in a long time. He patted his belly and remarked. "Well it was filling but not what I'd call terribly interesting. What say I prepare the next meal? I was a pretty fair cook back in the day. Some of my undercover work had me as a chef for some crime lords. I had to do a pretty fair job to pass it off."

"So you want to become my servant?" her eye arched

"Hell no. You clean your own bowl. I just want to eat something with a little flavor. I was just offering you something with a little pizaz to make the meal something to look forward to. Not just simple mass in the stomach."

She laughed a genuine laugh. "You are the first person since Yoruichi that has even dared to speak to me like that. I am enjoying it completely."

"Oh? And why are you such an ice princess? You seem like a normal person to me even if you are a captain of a group of shinigami who dress like ninjas. You still haven't told me about Soi Fon. Who are you aside from Captain of the Second Protection Squad? Who is the real Soi Fon. I promise not to tell."

They talked long into the night about their pasts and during that time started to build a friendship based on trust.

The following morning Soi Fon woke to the smell of something delicious wafting through the dojo. She rolled out and dressed quickly and headed for the small kitchen. She found Ren working over a hot stove fire handling cooking utensils like a master.

He noticed her and smiled. "I told you that I'd give you a taste of my cooking. Go sit down and I'll bring it out in a moment."

Her eyes were large as she turned away from the kitchen and had a seat at the table. _"So this is what it's like having someone cook for you. I guess that I could get used to this, as long as it tastes as good as it smells."_

The meal was all that he had promised and then some. She looked at him with a sideways glance. "You are going to make me fat."

Red started to laugh. "As if I could put enough calories into you to do that. From what I've seen you burn energy like an oil fire; fast, furious and very explosively. I doubt that you will ever get fat from my cooking."

"Well just don't you try and fatten me up." She humphed bending over her remaining rice and scarfing it down.

"_Matsumoto started out like this too. She brought back her husband from the real world. From what I remember though they had a pretty rough time of it at first. Both of them ending up in the Fourth infirmary."_ "Ren, do you know how to fight?"

"Well, I wasn't so good at hand to hand at the police academy, but I was top in my class is firearms. I don't suppose that you use them here and honestly I really don't have any interest in using a gun ever again."

"No, here we use spells for explosive effect and swords or zanpakutō for fighting. That and some hand to hand for stronger shinigami. From what I saw when you hit that hollow as just a ghost, you might actually be a very strong hand to hand fighter."

Ren thought for a moment "For right now let me get used to being alive again. I didn't have any luxuries in my death other than my memories and watching over my family. Now I can eat once again and sleep. These are luxuries that I cherish and I also want to pay you back by helping you in what ever way I can."

Soi Fon looked down at her plate that was now empty and thought. _"Well he can cook and it isn't like he has to go strait into the academy to learn how to be a shinigami."_ "Fine, cook and clean the dojo and you can stay here as long as you would like. Just don't make me fat."

"I promise, now don't you have a squad or division to run?" He smirked.

The daily meetings went fairly well considering how tightly she controlled her shinigami. They gave her the latest intel that they had gathered from Hueco Mundo. In the middle of one briefing she suddenly noticed that Ren was standing at the door with a tray with a cup of tea.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in one of her coldest voices.

Ren ignored the tone having heard it when she talked to his brother just before his death. "I'm bringing you some tea and some sandwiches seeing that it is noon and you haven't taken a break yet." He placed the tray beside her and smiled.

Her eyes bulged as she digested this simple gesture. She was not used to having someone that could ignore her icy glare with impunity. Her face heated up and she dismissed the scout curtly.

"What makes you think I needed something to eat?" She asked in a cool tone.

"Oh I don't know, maybe the way your head bobbed during the report or the rumble of your tummy just now." He smirked at her again.

"I'm sorry, I'm not used to having someone look after me. I am more used to watching over someone." She hung her head for a moment. She took the sandwich and bit into it then washed it down with the tea.

"I know a lot about you already Soi. Yoruichi stopped by a few times at the request of Ichigo to check up on me. She talked about you a lot. She considers you like a younger sister. She told me how you drive yourself to exhaustion and are somewhat crabby as a result. She only wants the best for you and for you to be happy. I would like to make her dream for you come true in some small way. Now, if you will excuse me. I will go and start on dinner. What would you like?"

Soi Fon's eyes were wide open to learn this piece of information and she hadn't a clue as to what to do with it. She mumbled "Make what you like. I'm sure that it will be fine. If you need anything just ask the vice captain to have it delivered." She resumed munching on her sandwich. _"Cucumber, this is good. The tea is excellent also."_

The rest of her day passed without any further interruptions, not that she minded so much. She was making her way back to her quarters when she smelled the distinct aroma of something cooking. She had never smelled anything like it before. She followed her nose as she went to the kitchen. "What are you making? It smells wonderful."

"Just a little dish Mama Davis taught me. Go and clean up and have a seat. It'll be ready in a moment." He shooed her out of the kitchen.

The following day she had a captains meeting and was standing around waiting for it to begin when Rangiku approached her. "I heard that you have a house keeper now." She tittered.

"I have nothing of the sort. Davis-san is just repaying me for my kindness in bringing him to Soul Society, nothing more." She tinged at the cheeks slightly. "I see that you're waddling more each day. When are you going to give birth?"

Oh I'm not sure. Unohana said that it should be in a month or so. You're right though I do waddle a bit. That's alright though. Can you feel the strength of this child already? Kira wants to name her after his mother or sister. Sophia or Justine. I'm not sure but I think Sophia would be nice. What do you think?"

"And you are asking me, why? I have no motherly instinct and don't want one either. Go ask Unohana what she thinks or Momo. Asking me is a waste of time." Soi Fon was seething.

"Well I didn't ask about sleeping arraignments with your boyfriend now did I?"

Rangiku had turned and gone back to her spot for the meeting leaving Soi Fon shaking and red faced at the implications of what she had said. Soi Fon's concentration for the day was shot. The word "boyfriend' kept replaying in her head over and over. The words of Yoruichi also came back to her mind "You look good together" Her mind kept replaying everything from the moment she first spoke to him and she never noticed how he treated her like an equal and a friend from the beginning. She had felt a sort of comfort around him that she had never felt around any of the shinigami in her life. What was she feeling. _"Damn you Rangiku, and you too Yoruichi. You did this to me and now I want it. I want that feeling of being wanted and loved!"_ She shunpo'd to the execution grounds noting that they were empty of people. She screamed out at the top of her lungs. The scream was inarticulate and ragged but it was all that she could do. The foreign emotions had built up to the point that she had to find a release.

Her throat was raw by the time she made it back to her dojo in the second squad. Ren met her at the door with a glass of ice tea. "I could hear you. I asked what was happening and no one would tell me. I don't think that they knew. They all just wanted to stay away from you. They wouldn't tell me where you were either. Damn it Soi, I was worried about you."

She took a deep drink of the ice tea and let it sooth her damaged vocal cords. "I was coming to terms with something Ren. I'm glad they didn't tell you where I was. I needed to do this on my own. If you really want to know what I was doing I'll tell you over dinner."

He let her finish her meal in silence but he wasn't about to let her off the hook. "So you were going to tell me what that screaming was all about." He put to her simply and directly.

"Since I have met you, you have treated me as an equal and without fear. You speak your mind and you are kind. You're thoughtful and for some unknown reason you seem to care what happens to me."

"Why wouldn't…" She cut him off.

"Let me finish. I have had exactly one person in my life that I ever considered a friend until I met you. I think that she is a very good judge of character. She likes you. That says volumes to me. Here is the problem, I don't think that I'm worth the trouble for you to take care of me."

It was Ren's turn to silence her. "First off, let me say this about your last statement. BULLSHIT! Now that I have that off my chest let me tell you how I feel. I think you are an amazing woman or shinigami or what ever you want to call yourself. No matter what it is you do you are fantastic. I'm not asking for your hand in marriage Soi Fon, I'm asking for your hand in friendship. Looking out for friends is what friends do. I want to look out for you. And I'm sure that I'll require some looking after too. I'm new to this sort of thing. I might have been married but that was longer ago than my lifespan was. I want to be your friend. What ever else happens I **will** be your friend."

The emphasis on the word 'will' struck home like a shot through the heart of the normally cold woman. The tears started to well in her eyes as she finally realized that this person was not about being there for duty or honor but about being her friend. She started to tremble as her walls came crashing down around her. She looked at Ren and had nothing but thanks in her eyes as he put out his hand and she took it. This simple man who in such a short time had completely taken her off guard had become someone that she would always hold dear.

**A/N: A nod to magicsmith for the fic "Zanpakuto?" A great insight into Kenpachi. I was going to make this into chapter eight of "Real World" but felt that maybe Ren and Soi Fon needed their own story arc. I'm not sure how far they will go but I hope people like it.**


	2. Chapter 2

Soi Fon wandered back to her dojo after the battle praying that there was something left there. She knew that the battle had strayed very close to the compound of the Second Squad but she didn't know exactly how close. She saw the shattered walls of the compound and feared that the buildings inside would be in similar condition. Her mind kept running back to the moments before she lead her shinigami into the fray, most specifically the moment she had kissed Ren before sending him away. She touched her lips and felt the ghostly feeling that he had returned that kiss with his heart.

She passed through the shattered gateway expecting the worst. What greeted her eyes was not so much devastation but the lack of it. With no one in the compound the hollows had ignored the buildings for the most part and had just flattened the walls of the compound. She walked to her dojo and noted that the door was slid open. She stepped up to the door and could smell something cooking. She concentrated and found what she was looking for. He was here already and he was waiting for her to come home.

She dashed through the dojo towards the kitchen and nearly knocked him off his feet as she threw herself on him. Her hug was fierce and the tears ran hot down her cheeks as she simply held him.

Ren wrapped his arms around her and held her feeling the sobbing and knowing that she had just been to hell. He knew that there had been many lives lost to the invading hoard and that she and the rest of the shinigami had narrowly fended them off. He saw the gash taken out of her shoulder that was bandaged. He crushed her close to him not wanting to let her know how scared for her he had been.

They never spoke a word in those few moments as they held each other. They didn't need to. Words are clumsy when you want to show someone you care. The simple act of holding that person was all they needed.

"Ah, esqth me. Can I ashk a question?"

Both Soi Fon and Ren jumped apart like forbidden lovers, looking rather red in the face.

"Could someone thell Nell where Ihigo than isth? Pleath?"

"You're an arrancar!" shouted Soi Fon

Nell whimpered and crouched down with tears streaming down her face. "I justh wanna thee Ihigo than. Nell isth a friend of Ihigo than."

Ren went over to the small arrancar and patted her on the head. "I believe Ichigo is still down in the real world. Nell? Is that your name? How did you get her Nell?"

"Ren stay back from that creature, it's an arrancar." Soi Fon was horrified to find Nell in her dojo and unable to attack with Ren between them.

"Soi, calm down. Nell is cool. Ichigo has told me all about this little bugger. How Nell healed him and protected him in Hueco Mundo. Nell is sort of harmless as far as people go. As long as you are nice to Nell, Nell is nice to you. Isn't that right?" He patted Nell gently on the head.

Nell giggled gently and looked up with her big bright eyes. "Nell ith good. Nell justh wanth to thee ihigo."

Soi Fon wasn't convinced but decided to listen before attacking. "Nell, how did you get here?"

"When Aithan starthed hith athack, Nell goth suhked along for the ride. Thay dragged Nell along to fight, but Nell theaked away thom them. Nell hid here thinking thee wath thafe. Nell doth noth wanth tho fighth. Nell wahth Ihigo."

"Ren chuckled softly. "Soi, Nell didn't come to fight. She didn't want to come at all. Can we send for Ichigo and turn her over to him?"

"I guess we can send word to him and see what he wants to do. What are we going to do with you in the mean time Nell? You're not safe here and by all accounts I should try and kill you but I have seen enough killing for one day."

"Nell likth lady Thoi Thon. She pretty and thee nith too. Ren nith too and hanthom. You and Thoi Thon married?"

Both of them blushed at the simple question from the innocent looking little arrancar.

"Um…well…no Nell we aren't married. Actually we only met about six months ago." Ren fumbled.

"Ah…that's…yeah…we're just friends Nell." Soi Fon also fumbled.

"Oh. Thath why you didnth kith her? Ihigo kitheth Rukia than all the thime. They're married though, tho ith ok. Come to thinkth abouth ith though Kira kithith Rangiku all the thime thoo. Wath a kith like?" Nell's eyes were wide and inquisitive.

"Ah…well, Nell a kiss is like…it's like… Soi a little help here?" Ren was stumped on how to answer the tiny arrancar.

She arched her eyebrow at him. "I've had exactly one kiss in my adult life so how was it Ren? Tell us what it felt like." He felt the lightning begin to gather.

"Um…well…It felt like a gentle warm breeze against me lips and threw lightning through my soul and paralyzed my brain. I couldn't think and I didn't want to. I didn't want it to end and I couldn't breath at all. I wanted it to go one forever and never stop. When it stopped I wanted it back so badly that my heart felt like it was going to shatter. Does that answer your question Nell?"

Nell thought for a moment. "Jup,thath antherth ma quethion. Ith makth you all muthy inthide and wanth thath perthon tho thay with you."

"Yes Nell, I want that person to stay with me, and I want her to want me to stay with her too."

Nell looked over Ren's shoulder at Soi Fon then whispered in his ear. "Nell thinkth that Thoi Thon wanth Ren Than tho thay with her."

"I hope so Nell I want her to stay with me too." Ren stood up and went to Soi Fon who looked at him with tears in her eyes. He wiped away the tears gently and cupped her face in both of his hands. "I'm going to kiss you." Then he did and she responded softly by melting into his arms.

The following day brought news from Ichigo that he had his hands full at the moment and wouldn't be free to come and get Nell and the request that Soi Fon take care of her until he could come to Soul Society and get her. He also made mention that Mayuri was not to get his hands on Nell for any reason.

"I'm not a babysitter!" Soi Fon stormed as she stomped through the dojo.

"Soi, I've had children of my own and Nell is just that, a child. I'll take care of her. I can do it. Give me a chance. Give her a chance and we will make you proud of us." Ren was using a tone of voice on Soi Fon that she couldn't refuse. Her heart had been captured by this simple man and she was willing to trust him.

"Ok, but if there is one problem I'm going to find a way to send her back to Hueco Mondo without an escort.

They both had concluded that Nell was ok and they began treating her like any other girl. Ren had taken the tiny arrancar out to the local tailor and had had her fitted with shinigami robes so that she might blend in better with those around her. Ren also privately asked Unohana if there was anything that could be done for her cleft pallet. She was somewhat nervous around the shinigami but Ren comforted her and told her that Unohana is the nicest shinigami in all of Soul Society. She listened with wide eyes and eventually leaped up and hugged Retsu after the examination was complete.

"Nell's problem isn't a cleft pallet, it's just improper speech patterns that she has learned. All you need to do is teach her how to speak and she is completely capable of overcoming that obstacle. Now let me walk you both home because I feel Mayuri standing around outside waiting for you. I have heard about Ichigo's little warning to Mayuri about conducting experiments on Nell."

Unohana walked out holding Nell's hand on one side and Ren holding her other hand. Unohana nodded to Mayuri as they turned and headed towards the second squad compound. They could hear the loud grumbling coming from behind them and Unohana had all that she could do to keep from laughing.

As they passed the eleventh squad a pink haired blur passed them then reversed and stood in front of them. Yachiru Kusajishi just looked at Nell for a moment then smilled with a huge grin. "Hi, you must be Nell. I'm Yachiru. Are you an arrancar?" Her eyes were wide and questioning.

"Yeth, I'm Nell an I'm an arrancar an I'm Ithigoth friend." Nell said being a bit shy to the littlest shinigami.

Yachiru brightened up as she heard this. "You know Ichii-san? He's Ken-chan's friend. Ken-chan wants to fight Ichii-san. They are good friends. If you're Ichii-san's friend then you're my friend too Nell-chan. Uno lady, can Nell-chan play with me?"

Unohana hid her laugh behind her hand. "Yachiru, I think that if you are going to play with Nell-chan then you have to ask Ren-sama for permission. I also think that if you are going to play then you should do it over at the second squad. That way Nell-chan will be near home."

Yachiru looked at Nell with wide eyes. "Are you staying with Soy-Soy? She's a stick in the mud. She doesn't laugh and she get's mad at me all the time when Ken-chan and I cut through her yard."

"Dath,noth thru. Thoi Thon ith a nith perthon. Thee laghth ath loth oth thingth. Ren-than makth her laugh all the time. Thee wath laughthin all lath nighth."

"That's enough Nell. Yachiru, if you would like to come over and play with Nell I'm sure that Soi Fon wouldn't mind. Just no rough housing."

With that Yachiru became a regular visitor at the Second Squad. She and Nell would go out and play in the training yard after all the shinigami had retired for the afternoon. Ren would come along and just sit and watch the two bounce around the yard chasing after each other playing tag or hide and seek. One day Yachiru skidded to a stop but a root sticking half exposed caused her to trip and smack into the wall leaving a small cut on her arm. Nell saw this and rushed to her friend and started to drool over her arm.

Yachiru tried to pull her arm away but Nell hung on as the drool covered the slight wound and healed it completely. Her eyes wide, "Wow, that's so cool! Grosse but cool."

"Why is ith grosse Yachiru?" Nell asked with all innocence.

"Because it's drool but it's still cool." Yachiru responded with a huge smile. She wrapped her arms around Nell. "Thank you Nell-chan. Ken-chan would have been upset if I went home with my blood on my robes."

"Dath ok, I heal all my friends." Nell said as she hugged Yachiru back.

"OK girls time to go. I have to make dinner." Ren called.

"Can Yachiru-chan come to dinner Ren-san?" Nell asked with her huge eyes blinking at him and a smile on her face.

"I don't see a problem with that but you have to go ask Kenpachi if you can stay for dinner Yachiru." Ren didn't mind Yachiru staying for dinner and it seemed to make Nell happy. Even Soi Fon seemed to like having the two girls together.

Dinner had evolved from a quiet and solitary affair to an event for Soi Fon and it had become one that she loved each evening. She wasn't exactly sure when she had accepted the tiny arrancar but she had and she watched her with a mixture of humor and terror. Not the bad type of terror, the terror that accompanies each parent as they watch their child go out into the world. Knowing that they may not be able to be there in time to protect them terror. Soi Fon could face the terror of the other sort where monsters held sway but not being able to completely protect Nell gave her problems. Dinner was where she listened to all the things that Nell did all day and smiled at her. Dinner was also where she found herself listening to the tiny arrancar and correcting her speech making her more understandable.

Slowly it dawned on Soi Fon that Ichigo wasn't coming to retrieve Nell any time soon and that just suited her fine. She and Ren were enjoying looking after Nell and some days you would think that Soi Fon had a family.

Nell was starting to speak better and she was starting to be accepted around Seireitei. Ren could take Nell to the market with him and was more than happy to watch her bouncing from booth to booth ogling at what each vender had for sale. Yachiru often accompanied them and dragged Nell to the candy vender where they both put on their big eye routine and received a piece of candy for their efforts.

Ichigo finally showed up one day at Soi Fon's dojo. Nell noticed him instantly and flew across the room and into his arms. "Ichigo! You're here!" She clung to him and made him laugh.

"Ah, yeah I finally got some free time. So how have you been? Are you staying out of trouble? You're not giving Soi Fon any problems are you?" He gave her a mock stern look.

"Oh no Ichigo-san, I like Soi Fon and Ren. They take good care of me and I like them a lot." Nell was holding her hands before her and looking at Ichigo with wide innocent eyes.

Ren had come to stand near. "Nell is a fantastic kid. I'm glad you told me about her. We both love having her here."

"Kurosaki, I am only going to say this one time so listen up. Nell is special not only to Ren but to me as well. I think that I love this little girl and I'm going to be sad if she has to go." Soi Fon turned on her heel and strode out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Ichigo's mouth hung open in shock.

"Yeah Ichigo, we both feel the same way. Talk with Nell and then come and see us if you would." Ren patted Nell on the head and followed Soi Fon.

"Well Nell, it seems that you made a big impression on Soi Fon and Ren. What do you think about them?" Ichigo asked looking down at Nell with a gentle smile on his face.

"Ichigo-san, I don't know what love is but I know that I like Soi Fon and Ren a lot. I don't want them to be sad if I go. I also don't want Yachiru to miss me either." Nell was looking at her feet while she said this.

"Nell, would you like to stay with Soi Fon and Ren? Permanently?" His voice was soft and caring.

Nell looked up. There were tears in her eyes. "Yes?"

Ichigo knelt down and hugged the tiny arrancar. "Nell, don't cry. I think that they want you to stay. I think that they like you a lot more than they said. Let me go and talk to them and what ever happens I'm going to make sure that you are taken care of."

Ichigo stood up and made to follow the two when he felt two hands grasp his haori. He looked behind him and there was Yachuri and Nell both with big imploring eyes. "Please ask Soi Fon Taicho to let Nell stay. I'll protect her and keep her safe."

"Don't worry Yachuri." He patted her head also.

He closed the door behind him and faced the two distraught people. "Do you want Nell to stay with you?"

They looked at each other then back at Ichigo. "Yes. We want Nell to stay. She is like a daughter to me and I don't want to say goodbye." Ren said looking determined.

"I too want her to stay with us. With her here I feel like I have a family and that is something I have not had before. I don't want to let this feeling go now." Soi Fon's eyes were hard as she said these words. She looked ready to fight.

"Well then you both are in luck because I'm full up on kids right now. I have three of my own and from time to time several more dropping in to play with my own. Nell wouldn't fit in very well with her heritage either. I see though that she has made a friend of Yachuri. So if Nell wants to stay and you want to keep her then who am I to split you apart. Besides you have done a wonderful job on her speech. I can understand her without having to think about what she said now." He smiled again. "Come on, let's go and ask Nell what she wants."

They came out into the living area and found Nell and Yachuri coloring on some paper. Soi Fon knelt next to Nell. "What are you drawing?"

"This is you, and this is Ren and this is me between you." Nell said proudly.

The picture showed them all holding hands. "Does this mean that you want to stay here with Ren and I?" She absently stroked the tiny arrancars head.

"I want to stay with Soi Fon and Ren more than anything. Do you want Nell to stay with you?" Nell's eyes were closed as she waited for the answer.

Suddenly she felt two sets of arms enfold her in a hug and she realized that Ren and Soi Fon were there holding her. "We don't want you to ever leave, Nell. You are our daughter from now on if you will have us as parents."

"Did you marry Soi Fon, Ren?" Asked Nell innocently.

"Ah…well...I…haven't…asked her… yet."

Nell turned to Soi Fon, "Are you going to marry Ren?"

"Um…well…he hasn't…asked me…YET."

Ichigo laughed as he watched the new parents trying to sort out their feelings and answer Nell's questions. "Just send an invitation." He continued laughing as he left the dojo.


	3. Chapter 3

"I swear that that woman is bi-…bi-…annual? bi-arctic? What the hell is that term humans use? Bi, bi, bi"

"Bi-polar? Is that the term you are looking for?" Yumichika Ayasegawa asked Marechiyo Ōmaeda with a smirk on his face.

"Yeah, that's it. One moment she is the ice princess handing out orders and punishments. The next moment she is hugging that damn arrancar child she adopted and being all sweet and lovey dovey with that useless soul that she brought back from earth. I don't get it. How can she act like that." Ōmaeda just scratched his head and stuffed his mouth with another cracker.

Yumichika just looked at him and shook his head. "How did such a non-beautiful person such as yourself ever become a vice captain?"

"Watch your mouth fifth seat, or I'll show you." Ōmaeda blustered.

"If you want to show me something then please do, but I want you to know something first. I was a fifth seat by choice until Ikkaku was sent to the fourteenth division. When he left I took his spot as third seat. Not only that but if you think Ikkaku's bankai is impressive…." Yumichika trailed off leaving things unsaid for the lazy vice captain to figure out. He walked away not wanting to associate with the slovenly shinigami any more.

Ōmaeda, not having a clue just grunted and ignored the dandy from the eleventh and stuffed more rice crackers in his mouth. _"I just don't get it. How can she change so quickly?"_ He stomped off for the training grounds to look for a fifth or sixth seat to push around. This always made him feel better.

When he got there he noticed that Ren was sitting at the bench and watching Nell and Yachiru playing a game of tag. He already disliked Ren and he hated Nell and to top it all off he had already been cowed by a third seat. He was in the right mood to pick a fight with Ren and slap him around a little.

"Hey you! Take that damn monster and leave my training area! NOW!" He shouted at Ren.

Ren looked at the obviously over weight vice captain and stood up and walked over to him. "I'm sorry but the girls are playing right now. I'll take them as soon as they are done with their game of tag. It won't be but a moment. Would you please refrain from calling Nell a monster, also." Ren kept a smile on his face the whole time not wanting to stoop to the ignorant level of Ōmaeda.

Ōmaeda, just used this as an excuse."So you refuse to leave? I take that as a challenge." He swung a meaty fist at Ren aiming to knock him across the yard.

Ren may not have done well in hand to hand when he was alive and a cop but he could still see this coming from a mile away. He ducked under the swing and stepped back a step keeping his hands at his sides. The smile was still on his face, "What was that for? I told you that we would leave in a moment."

Ōmaeda stepped forward and took another swing at Ren who sidestepped the blow leaving Ōmaeda off balance. He stepped in and grabbed the shinigami and kept him from falling. "Take it easy there big guy. No need to get rough."

This infuriated the vice captain to the point of irrationality. Although you would have thought that he had already passed that point attacking his captain's husband. However his anger had gone well past that point. He stepped back and started an incantation for Hadou number four.

Ren knew from watching some other shinigami that there was nowhere for him to run. He braced himself for what was going to be a very big blast of lighting from the vice captains hand. As the blast erupted Nell popped up between him and Ōmaeda and adsorbed the blast. Her eye sockets on the remains of her mask started to glow and then the blast of lightning flew back at Ōmaeda striking him fully in the chest. Ōmaeda flew backwards landing heavily at the door to the barracks where several of the second shinigami emerged after hearing the altercation.

Ōmaeda sat up and looked around then shouted "Arrest that arrancar and that man too!"

Nell who by this time was in the arms of Ren was looking frightened. The shinigami started forward to carry out the orders of their vice captain when Yachiru popped up between them. "Why is fatso blubbo making all sorts of noise? He attacked Nell and Ren."

"Sorry Vice Captain Kusajishi. We have our orders." One of the shinigami said.

"Well I'm telling you to stop. Fatso Blubbo attacked first and tried to hurt Nell and Ren so I want you to stop." Yachiru's monster spirit force spilled out causing a pink glow around her that took on the shape of a grinning demon head.

The shinigami of the second squad were well aware of how powerful Yachiru was and all of them backed away from her and their target.

Soi Fon felt the massive release of spirit force and stepped out of her office and entered the training grounds. She saw the stand off between her shinigami and Yachiru with Ōmaeda standing behind the shinigami and Ren and Nell standing behind Yachiru.

"What the hell is going on here?" She shouted breaking the stand off.

Yachiru looked at her and waved, "Hi, Soi Soi, Fatso Blubbo was trying to hurt Ren and Nell-chan stopped him. He's a sore loser isn't he."

"That's not the way it happened Captain!" shouted Ōmaeda

"Then why did you take two swings at Ren?" Yachiru's spirit force was climbing again and her normally happy face was starting to frown.

Soi Fon stepped up and patted Yachiru on the head. "Thank you Yachiru, I'll handle it from here."

Her happy face was back in place as she looked up at Soi Fon. "Ok Soi Soi. Can Nell and I go play now?"

"Sure, and take Ren with you." She looked meaningfully at Ren, who nodded in understanding. "Why don't you go and get something from the market for dessert tonight."

Both Nell and Yachiru cried out "YEAY!" They each took one of Ren's hands and nearly dragged him along with them.

The smile on her face was nowhere to be found when she turned around to face her cowardly vice captain. "Once again you have proved that you received your posting as a political favor. You are a disgrace to all shinigami and an even bigger blotch on the reputation of the Second Squad." Her tone was colder than Hitsugaya's Bankai. "As a reward for your constant stupidity, and shortsightedness. I'm going to have a special mission drawn up just for you." She turned to her office and started to walk away.

The rest of the shinigami looked at their vice captain and knew that he was not going to have fun on this mission what ever it was. Captain Fon was pissed and Ōmaeda was lucky that she didn't kill him right then and there.

"Ōmaeda, Get your fat ass in motion!" Soi Fon shouted over her shoulder.

When she was seated at her desk and Ōmaeda was standing before her she handed him a small letter. "You are to take this letter and hand deliver it to Nell's brothers, Pesshe Gatiishe and Dondo Chakker. They are both hollows living in Hueco Mundo. You are not to harm them or their pet. You are only to deliver this message and tell them that Nell is being taken good care of. You do not have authorization to fight them or anyone else. You deliver the message and come back. Do you think that you can handle this simple mission Marechiyo Yoshiayamenosuke Nikkōtarōemon Ōmaeda?" The sarcasm was dripping from her voice.

Ōmaeda was trembling so badly that he was nearly peeing his pants. "Y-y-yes Captain Fon. I understand the mission, a..a..and will do my best."

"Get out. "She snapped.

After Ōmaeda left the office she picked up her pen and wrote a short letter. She called a currier in and handed it to him with specific instructions. The currier departed in a flash. She looked around and noted that all the administrative work was done and departed for her dojo.

When she walked in she was met with an armfull of Nell as she leapt into her arms. "You're home!" Nell cried. "I'm sorry Soi Fon I didn't mean to hurt him but I didn't want Daddy Ren to get hurt." The tears in the eyes of the tiny arrancar were full of sincerity.

"That's alright Nell. He had it coming to him. Now show me your schoolwork." She set the tiny arrancar down and followed her to the table and looked over her work and congratulated her on getting good grades.

"Dinner is ready." Called Ren from the kitchen. "I made some beef stew, and for dessert we have strawberry shortcake."

"I thought that I told you not to make me fat?" Soi Fon said with mock indignity.

Ren walked out with a bowl of stew and kissed her on the cheek. "You haven't gained an ounce since I met you. What do you think Nell? Is mama fat?"

"Oh no, mama Soi isn't fat. She is skinny and pretty!" Nell looked at Soi Fon adoringly.

Soi Fon patted her adopted daughter on the head and bent down placing a kiss on her cheek. "You say the nicest things."

The following morning the currier returned to the office with a return letter. It had one word. "Fine" Soi Fon smiled an evil little smile as she left her office for the gate that Ōmaeda would be using to enter Hueco Mundo. Only captains could open the gate to prevent anyone from accidentally releasing control of the gate.

Ōmaeda looked like hell warmed over as he waited for his captain to open the gate. He didn't have much with him except his zanpakutō and a bag that she hoped had some water at least. _"Oh well if he is stupid enough to not be prepared, then he gets what is coming to him."_ "Are you ready Ōmaeda? I have arranged a guide for you. Hiyori Sarugaki will be waiting for you in Hueco Mondo. A word of advice. Don't piss her off like you have me. She is not forgiving at all and will strike without warning like this." She flattened the cowardly vice captain. "Now get going and deliver that letter and message." She opened the gate.

She didn't tell Ōmaeda that Hiyori was just going to lead him around, and if they found the brothers, that was fine. If not she could ditch him after two days. After his last stunt Soi Fon was done with him. She was going to give him every shit detail she could think up and her next mission (provided he survived this one) was going to be liaison officer with the eleventh squad. _"Let him piss off Kenpachi and Yachiru for a little while." _She chuckled softly to herself. Politics be damned that moron had attacked her husband and her child.

Nell and Yachiru were bouncing around the eleventh squad like wild ricochets driving the fighters crazy as they tried to practice or do paperwork. Kenpachi had enough and told them to go and bother Byakuya. He told them that Byakuya had just bought a large stash of candy. People couldn't get out of the way of the pink and green blurs fast enough as they exited the eleventh and zipped in the general direction of the sixth squad.

The guards at the entrance to the sixth squad blinked as they saw the oncoming pink and green blurs. They made to stop them but were too late. Nell and Yachiru zipped past and under the arms of the guards.

Byakuya felt the oncoming reiatsu of the vice captain and arrancar. Yachiru was very familure to him and he had made an effort to recognize Nell's spirit also. He noted to many of the captains that Nell's reiatsu had none of the taints of other arrancar and felt more like that of a shinigami or a Visard. He sighed softly and closed the ledger that he was going over and waited for the hurricane duo to arrive. He didn't have long to wait as he soon found two heads peeking over the window sill looking at him with big eyes.

"Yes ladies, what can I do for you?" He asked in his dead-pan voice.

"Um.. Byakuya-sama, Kenpachi said you had just bought some candy?" squeaked out Nell.

"Yeah Bya-chan, can we have a piece?" Yachiru asked in an excited voice.

"If you will leave me alone for the rest of the day then I'll give you each a piece."

Both heads nodded vigorously as he reached down and opened a drawer and retrieved two pieces of candy for the pair. He went over to the window and handed one to each.

Nell accepted her piece gravely and thanked Byakuay. Yachiru followed suit and the pair zipped out of sight. Byakuay's lips turned up ever so slightly as he watched the duo speed away.

**Hueco Mondo:**

The gate opened emmiting Ōmaeda who looked around at the barren landscape with a tinge of fear rippling up his spine.

"About time you got here!" he heard from directly behind him causing him to jump.

"What the hell are you waiting for? Let's get moving." Hiyori Sarugaki was in one of her better moods having not already smacked the shinigami.

"W w where did you come from?" Ōmaeda asked with obvious fear in his voice.

"Didn't Captain Fon tell you that I'd be waiting? I'm to guide you to Nell's brothers. Now lets get moving!" Hiyori snapped at him.


	4. Chapter 4

Now Ren had come to terms with his death quite some time before and was enjoying the chance to lead a pleasant afterlife. He loved being able to sleep again as well as cook and eat. The most enjoyable thing though was spending quiet time with his new wife of six months. Soi Fon had expressed her desire to not have a child yet and he understood the reasons behind it. Her life (or unlife) was full of danger and she was constantly on the go to stay abreast of developments. A pregnancy would place her in danger and also that of the child she would be carrying.

Nell filled the niche of their child very well and she was a sweet little girl for an arrancar. The only rough spot was Yachiru who was Nell's constant companion. Sometimes Kenpachi would be at the door to retrieve Yachiru because she had duties to perform. It was becoming somewhat of an annoyance to Kenpachi at bed time though because she was constantly asking to spend the night with her friend.

"You see her every day and you can be there in a few seconds in the morning. Why in the hell do you have to sleep there with her?" Kenpachi asked in exasperated tones.

Yachiru held her hands together before her and looked up at Kenpachi with her big eyes brimming with tears. "Because she's my friend and I promised to look after her, and we talk all night, and we have fun, and she's my bestest friend, and I wanna. PLEEEEEASE!"

"Suit your self. What did Ren and Soi Fon say?" He was catching on to this parent thing. It was like a brick in the head most of the time but if you get hit enough you learn to duck. He had caught on to playing both sides against the middle early on when the two had conspired to stay out playing past their bed time. Byakuya Kuchiki had caught the pair sneaking into the his office to raid his drawer for candy and had escorted each of them home. Needless to say that Kenpachi was not thrilled to have his vice captain delivered to him for attempted theft.

"Um, they said it would be ok." She was dancing around.

"Well good. Then I'll walk you over there." He said with a smile.

"Oh, I can walk by myself." She was dancing again.

"I know, but I have to talk to Captain Fon anyhow so I'll walk you over there." The grin on Kenpachi's face was from ear to ear as Yachiru looked down at her feet.

"Um, Ken-chan, we didn't ask Ren-san or Soi Fon. I'm sorry." She wouldn't meet his eye.

"I know, so ask when we get there and if you ever lie to me again, I'll kick your ass up between your ears."

At that moment Ren and Soi Fon were having a very similar conversation with Nell.

"So you want to spend the night over with Yachiru?" Soi Fon asked with all innocence.

"Um. yes, Yachiru asked me to come over and spend the night." Nell said with both of her hands behind her back and a smile on her face.

"Nell, this wouldn't be another attempt by you and Yachiru to sneak into the office of the sixth squad and take some of Byakuya Kuchiki's candy would it?" Asked Ren with a concerned voice.

Nell's eyes gave her away. She answered in a small voice. "Um, yes, Yachiru said that this time she had a fool proof plan for sneaking in." She was looking at her feet and both Soi Fon and Ren could tell that she was near tears.

Ren knelt down and hugged the tiny arrancar. "Nell, just tell us the truth and we won't get mad. We may not let you do what you're planning, but we won't get mad for you telling us the truth."

Soi Fon knelt beside them and wrapped her arms around both of them. "Doesn't Byakuya give you a piece every time you ask for one nicely anyway?"

"Yes, and he smiles afterwards too." Nell responded hiccupping with emotion.

This revelation made Soi Fon grin because she had never seen the captain of the sixth squad ever show any emotion. "Well, I think that you should stay here for the night and if my senses don't deceive me I think that Captain Kenpachi and Vice Captain Yachiru are almost here anyway. Why don't you ask Yachiru to stay here tonight."

Nell looked at Soi Fon with an instant smile. "OK mama Soi, I'll ask her. As long as it is ok with you and papa Ren."

They both hugged her again just before the knock at the door. Ren went and answered it. "Oi Captain Kenpachi, and Vice Captain Yachiru, do come in."

Nell was standing behind Ren. "Ah, um Captain Kenpachi sama, can Yachiru spend the night here?"

Kenpachi looked down at Nell with a stern face. "Are you going to try and raid the offices of the sixth again?"

"Oh no sir, Captain Byakuya gives us candy when we ask nicely anyway. I just want to have my friend with me is all." Nell's hands were held in front of her and she looked up at Kenpachi with wide honest eyes.

"Fine then, she can stay the night if Soi Fon and Ren say its ok." He rumbled.

"Oi Soi Fon, let's talk about your liaison officer. I understand you are going to be sending me your vice captain? What did he do to piss you off so badly?"

**Hueco Mondo:**

"What? There isn't any water? What do you drink here?" Ōmaeda asked incredulously.

"We go down to the real world or to Soul Society and get what we need. You can't think that this barren wasteland could ever have anything for anyone. Even hollows have to leave to eat. There is nothing here. How long have you been a shinigami anyway? You don't know shit!" Hiyori Sarugaki was irritated at the fat shinigami. The twitch of her eye should have given Ōmaeda a clue but he was too worried about his own lack of preparation.

"Come on you moron let's get moving. The longer we stand around like idiots the better the chance that any remaining arrancar or Gillian menos' will find us. Personaly I don't have much of a problem with that but you on the other hand might taste good to them." She started walking away in the direction of some bluffs.

Ōmaeda trailed after her closely fearing that she would vanish. "So the brothers are in this direction?" He asked trying to make conversation to take his mind off his thirst.

"I don' know. I'm just guessin'. They move around a lot because of the other hollows don' like em too much. I s'pose it's because they helped out Ichigo and crew when they invaded to save that Orihime chick." She responded.

"Great, I get sent to deliver a message from an arrancar to a couple of hollows and they don't stay put because they made enemies of all the rest of the hollows. How much more messed up can this get?" As if in answer to his request, several hollows emerged from behind a dune near them.

"Ahhhhh! Shinigami and Visard. Mmmmm they smell good! So nice of you to deliver yourselves to us. Sort of like meals on wheels, without the wheels." One of the hollows laughed.

All of the hollows started laughing as they advanced on the pair.

**Soul Society:**

"Yachiru, can you be my sister?" Nell asked as they were both huddled together in bed.

Yachiru thought for a moment. "I don't know. I am your bestest friend, but I'm not sure about being your sister. Oh well why not! Nell-chan you're my sister now!" She hugged Nell as they lay there.

"And you're my big sister Yachiru-chan." Nell hugged her back.

The following day the duo blitzed across Seireitei in search of something to do. Yachiru decided that they needed to visit with Puppy-taichou (AKA Sajin Komamura). Nell was all for that until she saw Komamura. She trembled in fear until she saw Yachiru scramble up on his back like she did with Kenpachi.

"What brings you and your little friend to the seventh squad vice captain Yachiru?" asked the gentle giant.

"She's not my friend she's my sister! This is Nell. Nell-chan, this is Puppy-Taichou"

"My name is Sajin Komamura, Nell. You are the young arrancar adopted by Captain Fon aren't you?" He said gently

"Yup, Mama Soi and Papa Ren adopted me and Yachiru is my big sister." She said with enthusiasm. "I am please to meet you Captain Sajin." She held out her tiny hand.

Komamura reached out and accepted the tiny hand and shook it gravely. "The pleasure is all mine. Now if there isn't anything else, I do have some work to accomplish today. Ladies, Have a nice afternoon and I hope to see you again soon." He plucked Yachiru from his back and set her down beside Nell and gave them a canine smile.

"Oh, ok Puppy-taichou, we'll go now." Yachiru waved as they left.

Nell stopped and turned to Komamura and bowed. "Nice to meet you Komamura taichou" Then the pair resumed the search for interesting things to do and see.

Komamura watched them leave and shook his head thinking out loud. "What a strange pair. Cute kids but a strange pair."

Their next destination was the market place just outside the walls of Seireitei. Nell stopped at the gate causing Yachiru to turn. "Whats wrong Nell-chan? Let's go to the market."

Nell shook her head. "Papa Ren said to stay inside the walls of Seireitei. He doesn't want me to get into any trouble." Her eyes were full of tears.

"S'ok I'll go and get us some candy and then we can go see Ken-chan!" Yachiru said with her usual bubbly attitude.

"Really? Ok, I'll wait right here for you." Nell said wiping away the tears.

Yachiru zipped away into the market with the intent of finding the candy vendor and returning but true to her nature was quickly sidetracked by pretty things and different smells. After an hour she remembered that Nell was waiting for her so she got the candy and speed back to the gate. When she got there Nell was nowhere to be found.


	5. Chapter 5

"Well my little friend, how are you feeling?" The voice was harsh and without a trace of mercy or sympathy as Nell woke up slowly.

The first thing she noticed was that she was not in her bed. And the next was the nearly blinding light that showed down on her. She squinted and tried to make out where she was. All the while she felt that she didn't like what was going on. Tears started to well in her eyes and she yelled out, "I WANNA GO HOME! I WANT MY MAMA AND PAPA!"

The volume coming out of her mouth was to say the least prestigious. This caused her captor to wince in pain even though his ears were nothing but a memory. He stepped into the light and shouted over her (which was a feat), "SILENCE YOU BRAT!"

When she saw the figure her eyes shot open in fear. "C c captain Mayuri? Why are you h h holding me?"

"I have wanted to study you for a long time little arrancar. I now can take my time and find out all about you and your brethren."

"Mama Soi Fon won't let you. You better not hurt me."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi just laughed. "No one knows where you are and it isn't like they will be able to find you. I have sealed off your spirit energy from the outside and that means they can't track you. Now be a good little arrancar and just let me do my work."

Yachiru, looked around the area of the gate and couldn't find Nell anywhere. She zipped over to the second compound looking for her but couldn't find a trace of her spirit anywhere. She finally desided to go and ask Soi Fon if she knew where she was.

In an uncharacteristic move she actually knocked on the door before entering the office of Soi Fon. "Come in Yachiru. Where is Nell?"

"Um, that's what I came to ask you Captain. She was with me at the gate but I went to get us some candy from one of the booths and when I got back she was gone." Yachiru was now worried.

Soi Fon's eyes were large and not very happy with this news. Her face became tense and her lips a thin line across her mouth. She muttered one word. "Kurotsuchi"

Yachiru head the muttered name and took off like a shot. She had invaded the compound of the twelfth squad on several occasions looking for fun but this time she was not after fun. There were few people in all of Soul Society that could keep up with the tyke as she literally flew across the rooftops. She however found herself to be in the company of one VERY pissed off Captain Soi Fon.

When they got there moments later Yachiru went through the back door. She was never one for formality and didn't want to notify Kurotsuchi that she was coming for her sister. The door blew off its hinges as she kicked it and she stormed through the lab areas looking for some sign of Nell. Shinigami of the twelfth scrambled to escape her as she kicked in doors and blew through walls in her search. "NELL! WHERE ARE YOU!"

Soi Fon took a different tact. She was currently holding Mayu (Nemu's clone sister) against the wall with Suzumebachi poised below her chin. "Where is Kurotsuchi? You have exactly three seconds to answer me."

Mayu frowned. "And just what do you think he will do to us if we tell you? Have you ever been one of his test subjects?"

"I don't give a rats arse about your problems with that monster. I want my daughter back!" Soi Fon gritted back in the woman's face.

"You 'daughter', is an arrancar." The other winced back feeling the full force of Soi Fons spirit energy.

"One that has done no harm and only helped those that she has met. Now tell me where that rat bastard is." The tip of Suzumebachi was now resting against Mayu's jugular vein.

"In the lab with the spirit damper. Just down the hall and to the right." Mayu knew that there was no chance of holding out. She was far different from her 'sister' in that respect.

Soi Fon dropped her and ran down the short hall finding the door and slamming it open. What she saw made her stop and begin to laugh.

Kurotsuchi was laying on the ground face down with Yachiru sitting on his shoulders holding his head and repeatedly banging it off the floor. She was screaming at the top of her lungs cursing him with every word in a very un-lady like manner.

Nell was still strapped to the table and was cheering Yachiru on as well as frothing at the mouth wanting her shot at kicking Kurotsuchi.

Soi Fon went over to her and released her bindings and was rewarded with an armfull of blubbering Nell.

"Mama that bad man was going to sperment on me and do things. Then Yachiru knocked in the wall and started beating him up." Nell was holding onto her like she would never let go and Soi Fon held her close the same way.

"Yachiru, he's unconscious. Here, take Nell and go to my dojo and wait for me there. Go directly there and don't leave until Kenpachi Ren or Myself come and tell you it's ok to go. Ok?" She set Nell down next to Yachiru and put her hand in Nell's. "Now go, and no side trips."

"Yes Captain." Yachiru's smile had returned with startling speed as she took Nell and left Kurotsuchi to the tender mercies of Soi Fon.

**Hueco Mondo:**

"What the hell were you doing? Didn't they teach you how to fight in the academy? All you did was swing that mace around and end up breaking my leg you fool! What the F were you doing!?" Hiyori Sarugaki was wincing in pain as she rode on the back of Ōmaeda. "Stop bouncing you tub of lard!"

"Shut-up you vicious little creep. I was trying to fight and you got in the way! Where do I go now? Give me some directions to a place where I can heal your leg." He shot back and was rewarded with a smack to the back of his head.

She pointed off to his left at a nearby bluff. "There are some caves there where we can rest."

"_A simple guide job and I get myself hurt by the moron that I have to guide. What did I do to deserve this!"_

Ōmaeda had smoothed out his pace making the trip a bit more comfortable considering that she had a broken leg. They found the caves and he carried her into one of the larger ones. He gently set her down on a bolder and examined her leg. "This may hurt a bit so prepare yourself."

She nodded as he took hold of her knee and ankle at the same time. She was not ready for the pain as he pulled the two apart and straitened the leg back to its proper shape. She passed out.

She came to and looked around. "How long was I out?"

"About three days." Ōmaeda continued munching on the last rice cracker that he had brought with him.

She flexed her leg and found that other than being stiff there was no pain. "Not bad. You have a little talent."

"Gee thanks, I think. Are you fit to travel?" He asked no longer being sarcastic.

She bounced on her leg a little testing it and nearly fell down. "Leg's still weak. I can walk a little but until I get the strength back I'm a sitting duck."

"Then get on." He turned around and knelt.

"Are you serious?" she asked incredulously.

"I want to get this mission over with and get the hell out of this place. I'm tired of the dingy landscape and the even dingier sky. I don't like the residents of this place and I just want to go home. So to answer your question, YES, I'm serious. Now get on you little twerp."

She reluctantly climbed onto his back and straddled his shoulders. He stood up careful of not slamming her head into the roof of the cave and exited. "What direction now?"

She pointed off to their left. "That way."

**Soul Society:**

Kurotsuchi came to and realized that he had been trounced by that screaming pink haired demon of Kenpachi's. _"Where the hell did she come from?"_ He opened his eyes and realized that something was definitely wrong. For one he was strapped down on his own examination table. For another the person looking down at him was not someone that he ever wanted to be around in this position. He had heard the screams of hollows and arrancar as Soi Fon had interrogated them for information and now she was looking at him like he was a hollow. "I don't suppose that a simple I'm sorry will suffice?"

Soi Fon smiled at his words and he felt a chill run down his spine. He knew that this was not going to be a good day in the twelfth squad.


	6. Chapter 6

It took a direct order from Yamamoto in person to make Soi Fon release Mayuri from the examination table. It took another direct order under punishment of death to Mayuri to make him stop chasing after the young arrancar, Nell.

Mayuri grumbled quite a bit about the order but figured that it could be rather painful to disregard it. He started to eye the shinigami of his squad with anger for not stopping the captain of the second or the vice captain of the eleventh.

Yamamoto caught his eye and saw the direction of the frown. "There was none in your squad that could have held them off and you know it. Taking out your frustration on those under your command is very unprofessional. Oh, and by the way. Your recruiting level has been lowered to no more than those lost to hollow attacks. Effectively your squad level has been frozen for the time being. Any lost due to your 'experiments' are lost permanently."

Soi Fon departed passing Mayu and looked at her with a scowl on her face. "Come see **_me_** after your captain is done with you."

She shunpo'd back to the second and noticed that the guard had been doubled without her say. "What is the meaning of this?"

The senior guard knelt, "The third seat ordered the doubling when you left in a hurry. He was afraid that there was some sort of attack or something."

"Fine, go back to normal levels. Have the third seat report to my office at once." She left for her office and was happy to see that Saito was already there waiting for her. She put on her best scowl and sat at her desk and fumbled a few papers back and forth before looking at him.

"Your actions were not warranted." She began with a no nonsense tone in her voice.

His sweatdrop was monstrous.

"However," she continued, "taking action when faced with the unknown is laudable. Good job. Go and reduce the guard to normal and thank them for me for being so prompt at answering the call."

Saito bowed and exited the office happy that he was still in one piece let alone praised for taking swift action. _"She's in a good mood today."_ He thought to himself.

Soi Fon looked around her desk for a moment and saw that there wasn't anything that was pressing and left for her dojo.

She entered the dojo and was met with an armful of arrancar toddler, followed by her husband. "How did this happen?" was all Ren had to say as he hugged his two girls.

"Spooky-taicho took me and when I woke up he was saying mean things to me." Nell cried into her mama's shoulder.

"It seems that Mayuri had waited for Nell to be alone before he drugged her and abducted her. Needless to say he won't be attempting that again for obvious reasons." She said with a feral grin on her face.

"So you want to tell us what you did to him in there?" Came the gruff voice of one very amused Kenpachi who was sitting drinking sake with Yachiru sitting next to him.

"I think that you can imagine what I did without too much effort. What are you doing here?"

"Yachiru wanted to say something to you and Ren. Yachiru? Spit it out." Kenpachi grumbled at his vice captain.

Yachiru looked very unhappy at that moment. "Soi Soi and Ren-san, I'm sorry I left Nell-chan alone at the gate. I won't do it again. Can Nell-chan still play with me?"

Soi Fon and Ren looked at the tiny shinigami. "You couldn't have known that 'spooky' taicho was going to do a dumb thing like that. You can play with Nell anytime you want as long as it isn't being too much of a distraction from your duties."

"Oh no, Nell is my sister now so I want to spend as much time with her as I can. Ken-chan told me that I can play with her as long as I do what I'm told back in the eleventh."

All three of the adults looked at the littlest shinigami with mixed reactions, Soi Fon with shock, Ren with wonder, and Kenpachi with humor.

"Yachiru, why did you call Nell your sister?" Asked a mystified Ren.

"Because she is my sister!" came the confident reply of Yachiru. "She asked me to be her big sister and I want to be her big sister. I want her to be my little sister too."

Nell chimed in, "That's my big sister! She beat spooky-taicho." The look on the tykes face showed that she was very proud of her 'sister'.

"Oh this is going to make a wonderful report." Sighed Soi Fon.

Kenpachi who had been sitting back with a huge grin popped a question from out of left field. "So are you ready to have Yachiru's things delivered today?"

**Hueco Mondo:**

"So the last time you spotted them they were in there?" Ōmaeda asked dubiously.

"Yeah, they were hiding from one of the surviving espada. It seems that the price on their head was rather high." Hiyori responded from his shoulders. "I don't sense their spirits though so they must have moved on. If you head in that direction we may catch up with them." She pointed at a distant ridge of grey rock.

"Do you have anything to eat?" Hiyori asked after an hour or so of them traveling.

"I wasn't expecting to spend so many days here. I didn't bring supplies for a long stay." Ōmaeda said simply. "Why didn't you bring anything?"

"I was only obligated to two days. This injury wasn't expected and it's making me hungry. Ah well, I'll survive. Make camp here. We can see everything around us and we won't be surprised again." Hiyori was acting differently as she directed Ōmaeda to make camp. Her tone was calmer and less sharp.

Ōmaeda noticed this also but felt that she would kick his butt if he said anything about it. He set up the makeshift camp quickly and made sure to do everything she told him to do. _"Damn, she acts just like Captain Soi Fon. Why did I have to get so stupid and get sent here on this worthless mission. Shit, find a couple of hollows in a place as big as a whole continent. That and I have to carry her like a child. At least she is only as big as a child."_

**Soul Society, Second squad Captains dojo:**

Soi Fon and Ren both sounded off at the same time. "WHAT?"

"Well if they're sisters then they should stay together and that means here. The eleventh is no place for this pair to be staying and Yachiru can be at work for morning muster in about one minute anyway. Unless there is a new recruit or ten she won't be there long enough to worry anyway." Everything he said made perfect sense to the hulking shinigami, and it would allow some of his shinigami to actually accomplish something in the course of a day. It also meant that he could finally get his stash of girly magazines out of storage.

Ren looked at Soi Fon. "What do you think?"

"Ah, well, they are inseparable now. She's also here almost every night of the week anyway." Soi Fon knelt down to look directly at Yachiru. "If you want to be Nell's sister that means that I'm going to be your mother, and Ren will be your father. It also means that what ever we say goes, without a question. Can you handle that?"

"So if you say that I have to leave spooky taicho alone, then I can't go and bug him or see his new toys?" Yachiru asked dead serious.

"That's exactly what I mean Yachiru. I'm new at this mom thing and Ren is the one that will make most of the decisions so what ever he says has the same authority as what I say. Can you do that?" Soi Fon waited for a response.

Yachiru took her chin in one of her hands and thought, _"Ren and Soi Soi would be my mama and daddy. Does that make Ken-chan my uncle Ken-chan?"_ Everyone could actually see a pink mist rise from the small shinigami's head.

"OK, Soi Soi Mama. I can do it. As long as I can be Nell-chan's big sister I can do anything." Yachiru had an ear to ear grin on her face.

"Yeay!" Squealed Nell as she hugged Yachiru. "Come on let's go and get ready for bed."

The hyper duo left the room at near sonic speed making Ren catch his breath. "Um, who just adopted who here?" He had a slightly dazed look on his face.

Kenpachi just laughed as he let himself out.

The next captains meeting was about as interesting as watching paint dry on a wall. Soi Fon gave her update on developments in Hueco Mondo and offered observations on intel that the fourteenth had collected. The captain of the twelfth was conspicuously quiet through out the meeting and declined to offer any new information. Everyone snickered at his appearance as he was still bandaged around his head. Even Hitsugaya was amused.

After the meeting Rangiku caught up with Soi Fon. "So you have a nice little family now."

"I see no need to state the obvious." Soi Fon responded trying to get away from the gossip central of Rangiku Tenaka.

"What possessed you to take in Yachiru also?" Rangiku asked clearly perplexed.

Soi Fon stopped and looked at her. "Have you seen them together? I mean really watched them together? Those two are as close as real sisters are and they compliment each other. Yachiru is no where as out of control when she's with Nell as she is alone. They both love Ren and I think that they even love me."

Rangiku placed the back of her hand against Soi Fon's forehead. "Nope, you're not running a fever so what you're saying must be true. I'm happy for you Soi. You deserve a bit of sunshine in your life. Oh, by the way. Ichigo and Rukia will be coming next week for a short vacation. They are bringing the kids along and I know that Yachiru loves to play with them. I think that Nell knows them too." She winked. "Just thought that you might like to be prepared."

"For what?" Soi Fon was confused now.

"The Kurosaki children age at the normal speed of humans. They are alive in every sense of the word." Rangiku smiled. "The girls might fight over who spends time with Kaien. He is getting to be quite a handsome little boy now."

As they exited the meeting Soi Fon was approached by Mayu. "You wanted to see me captain."

"Yes I do. Follow me." She shun po'd off in the direction of her office.

When they arrived Soi Fon took her seat and looked up at the vice captain from the twelfth. "You aren't like your sister. You actually have a bit of spine to you. How would you like to accept a position here as my vice captain? I'm sure that I can convince Mayuri to let you go."

"You already have a vice captain though don't you? Ōmaeda, that big fat guy." Mayu looked a little confused.

"Yes he is currently billeted as my second in command but he has proven himself unreliable on too many occasions. I need someone that is willing to stand up and 'do the right thing' not stand up and make a fool of himself. So the offer is there. Take it or leave it. The choice is yours."


End file.
